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Since Betzy Bancroft was a child, she’s understood that plants are medicinal and magical. In 1987 she began formal study at Herbal Therapeutics School of Botanical Medicine (now David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies) a comprehensive herbal studies program that was almost 3 years long at that time. She went on to take two graduate level clinical courses as well, and for many years taught herbal pharmacy, field botany and other subjects as an assistant instructor. She has also studied intensively with other respected herbalists, attended numerous herb conferences and continues her studies actively.

In addition Betzy has taught classes in herbal medicine, wild edible plants and the medicinal uses of food throughout the Northeast, including the NE Women’s Herbal Conference, the Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture Conference, the American Herbalists Guild Symposium and was a part time instructor at the Tracker School.

She’s been a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild for the last decade and worked for many years in the herbal product industry as staff herbalist.

Practicing in the Western energetic tradition of herbal medicine, her roots go back to the Eclectic and other botanic physicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries in this country, and deeper back to the traditions of Europe. This foundation theory shares the concepts of elements (earth, air, fire, water) and quality (hot, cold, moist, dry) with all the ancient herbal medicine systems of the world, including China and India. We are, after all, one species living on the same planet. Her goal is to help students and clients understand the plants’ “personalities” and relate to them as fellow living beings and guides to better health.

Currently Betzy is the office manager of United Plant Savers, a non-profit native medicinal plant conservation organization, so she is very involved in the sustainable use of our herbal resources. Since moving to Vermont a few years ago, she has been practicing with the Sage Mountain Free Herbal Clinic in Barre.

Betzy loves to teach, to share the herbal wisdom she feels very blessed to know.

direct e-mail for Betzy:

alchemilla@eathlink.net

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